Molecular Dynamic Structure Investigations of the Surface Stability and Adsorption of H, H₂, CH₃, C₂H₂: (100) Diamond

Abstract

Surface properties - stability and reconstruction - of clean and hydrogenated diamond (100) have been studied by real temperature molecular dynarnic (MD) simulations using an approximate density functional (DF) theory expanding the total electronic wave function in a minimal basis of localized atomic valence electron orbitals (LCAO - ansatz). The clean surface is highly unstable against a spontaneous dimerization resulting in a 2×1 reconstruction. Atomic hydrogen in the gas phase above the top surface at all temperatures and H₂ molecules approaching the center of the dimer bond at room temperature are reactive in breaking the dimer π-bonds forming a monohydrogenated surface which maintains a stable 2×1 structure but with elongated surface C-C dimer bonds remaining stable against continuing hydrogen supply. The dihydrogenated surface taking a 1×1 structure, because of steric overcrowding dynamically becomes unstable against forming a 1×1 (alternating) di-, monohydrogenated surface. As first elementary reaction processes which may be discussed in relation to diamond growth we studied the thermal adsorption of CH₃ and C₂H₂ onto a clean 2×l reconstructed (100) diamond surface.